Escaping Eternity
by divarivas
Summary: Caroline visits New Orleans on a mission to find Stefan and rescue Bonnie and Damon. Klaus Mikaelson was not part of her mission.
1. How Soon Is Now

CHAPTER 1

"How Soon Is Now"

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Caroline grimaced as she hugged her brunette friend as tightly as she possibly could. Caroline was well aware that Elena was distraught, but so was she. Both Damon _and_ Bonnie were gone, yet it appeared their friends only felt it necessary that Elena was consoled. Sure, Elena lost her soulmate, but Caroline lost her best friend, Stefan lost his brother, Jeremy lost his former lover, Matt and Tyler lost their friend. None of them were left unscathed. Nevertheless, Caroline could never bring herself to have any bitter thoughts towards her friend.

"You have to get him back. You swore you would," Elena instructed Caroline. Caroline remembered this promise very well, but it was only an ill-conceived attempt to comfort her. However, she couldn't let her friend down, and she certainly wouldn't be content if her best friend was trapped forever, so at the least she would try to save them from wherever they could be. She would enlist Stefan's help, and try her best to free their friends, even if it involved losing her sanity in the process. While she regretted her assurance to Elena, she was positive she would have put forth all of her effort anyways.

"It's going to be okay, Elena," Caroline lied. The truth was that there was a high likelihood Bonnie and Damon had vanished completely. The other side and all supernatural creatures who previously inhabited it were nonexistent. She had devised a flimsy plan to seek out and consult powerful witches who could serve as beneficial to this case. She was familiar with a few in New Orleans, so that would seemingly be her primary location.

Elena gave Caroline a grateful smile and headed out the door to meet Jeremy. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and took her cell phone out of her back pocket. She was debating whether or not she should call Stefan immediately or wait a few hours until he had returned from wherever he had mysteriously disappeared to this morning. He had claimed to be taking a trip to the hospital to swipe us a couple more blood bags, but there was no logic behind that because they had nearly two hundred in the cooler downstairs in the Salvatore mansion.

After several arguments and counterarguments in her head, Caroline pressed call, although she was ninety nine percent sure he wouldn't pick up. She heard one ring before she was sent to voicemail. She couldn't let another second that could be used to save her friends go to waste. Putting her phone in her back pocket, she grabbed her purse and left her house. Much to Caroline's expectations, there was no sign of Stefan at the hospital. All of the sudden, she caught a whiff of a familiar aroma. As she sensed her face shift into its supernatural state, she desperately tried to push her desires away. _Stay in control_ , she repeated in her head, like a mantra. Her mission was to find Stefan and convince him to assist her in the recapture of their friends. The second half shouldn't be too hard, but Stefan could be anywhere by now. She quickly followed the stench to its origin.

"Can I help you?" a middle aged blonde nurse questioned her. Caroline's gaze instantly flicked to her the woman's neck, on which she noticed a bandage and a blood stain of a considerable size. Caroline took a step closer to her and aligned the woman's eye with her own. However, she was hesitant. Caroline adored the power she possessed to force anyone to confess their deepest and darkest secrets, her guilt was multiplied every time she compelled a human.

"Who did this to you?" she interrogated the woman, Allison, her name tag read.

"I don't know his name," Allison replied obediently. She looked terrified, and Caroline couldn't help but feel terrible for her. She told herself that she wasn't doing anything that could be potentially harmful to the woman; her intentions were pure.

"What do you know about this man?" Caroline reluctantly continued to press the woman.

"Red eyes, bushy eyebrows, light brown hair," Allison described the man whose features coincidentally resembled Stefan. Caroline was not surprised at his carelessness. He clearly hadn't bothered to compel Allison into forgetting the attack. Stefan had gone off the rails on numerous occasions, although most of them were short lived, with a few exceptions. During the previous incidents, he hadn't made much of an attempt to cover up his tracks.

"What exactly did he say to you?"

"He rambled a little nonsense about witches in New Orleans and then disappeared." Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and sped off. Maybe Stefan had a similar plan as Caroline, and he was only one step ahead of her. She vigorously messed with her hair as she always did when she was frustrated or stressed. She knew she was going to have to find Stefan on her own. She sprinted to her car and spent the next several hours on the road. She tried Stefan's cell over and over again, with no luck.

At last, Caroline stepped out of the car and wandered aimlessly along the streets for nearly an hour. The truth was that she had no clue where to begin. She spotted a cafe across the street and decided it would be no harm to stop for a cup of coffee. She was about to cross the road until she heard a voice that caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Hello, love."

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 _ **A/N: I sincerely hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm a newbie writer for The Vampire Diaries, but I love the show, especially Klaroline, with all my heart. In case it wasn't clear, this story is set just after the season 5 finale. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you, and expect monthly updates.**_


	2. Heart of Glass

CHAPTER 2

"Heart of Glass"

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Caroline didn't bother turning around. She could recognize his voice in the midst of thousands of people. The thought had crossed her mind that she might have a run in with him when she arrived in New Orleans, but she hadn't dwelled on it for too long. She hadn't seen him in a very long time, and she'd planned on keeping it that way. She hadn't seen the Original in months; she'd assumed their previous encounter would be their last. Clearly, she had been mistaken. If she was being totally honest, Caroline was slightly afraid of him. She was positive he would never purposely harm her in any way. No, her fears were of a significantly different nature.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Caroline breathed out one word. "Klaus." Slowly, eyes still closed, she turned to face him. To say the least, she was incredibly nervous. She wished she had come up with a plan for what to say if she was ever caught in this moment, but alas, she'd been too busy praying she wouldn't need a plan. There was something about him that made her feel out of control and a little squirmy. It would be an understatement to say this feeling was unsettling to Caroline. Yet somehow she found her mind wandering off to places she wasn't familiar with.

"I've been awaiting your arrival for quite some time now." Caroline's eyes popped open, only to see the Original's infamous smirk. She didn't want to confess it, but she liked the way he looked at her. Klaus raised his eyebrows at her speechlessness, urging her to respond to his statement. After a few more moments, Caroline regained her composure and her ability to speak.

"I'm here for my friends, not you," Caroline fired at the man. Klaus only gave a light laugh and nodded. Somehow he saw right through her attempt to mask her complex emotions.

"Yes, yes, the Bennett witch and the Salvatore boy, or might I say the Salvatore _boys_ ," Klaus retorted, eyeing the blonde. Caroline was not alarmed he knew about Bonnie and Damon, but she was a little taken aback he already knew Stefan was here. He had his ways of knowing everything about everyone. He could easily rule the world if he wanted to, but that wasn't his style. Caroline saw him as a man who wanted to appear unapproachable, mysterious, and possibly hidden. However, Caroline had to admit that she wasn't positive how well she really knew Klaus. Sometimes she found it almost impossible to determine what was an act and what was real.

Caroline furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you know where Stefan is?" Klaus shrugged his shoulders and threw Caroline an amused expression. She sighed, frustrated, and gave him a death glare. Of course, he simply laughed and played with a strand of her hair. She glowered at him, locking her eyes on his, yet he didn't look away. It appeared he was patiently waiting for her to break the gaze, but she didn't. She needed to come off as strong rather than a fragile piece of glass ready to shatter at any moment. At least two minutes later, a familiar voice prevented a winner.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Stefan asked in an accusing, yet entertained tone. Klaus and Caroline shared a look. She knew in that moment he had turned off his emotions, and it would be a long process convincing him to turn them back on. Time was a luxury she was lacking at the moment. The more time she spent persuading Stefan to feel again, the less of a chance she had to save Bonnie and Damon. He couldn't have chosen a worse time. She knew pointing the finger at Stefan wouldn't get her anywhere. Be that is at may, Caroline couldn't help but judge.

"Stefan Salvatore, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Klaus queried sarcastically. Caroline gave Stefan a once-over. His white t-shirt was splattered with blood, and genuine rips were scattered around his jeans. It didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that he'd been feeding off defenseless humans.

"I don't know, man. Why don't you ask your brother?" Caroline glanced at Klaus and she could basically see his blood beginning to boil. His eyes widened and he gestured for Stefan to continue, but he didn't. He turned around and walked away as if he their failure of a conversation hadn't happened. She wondered what the hell had gotten into him. It had been at least a week since Damon and Bonnie disappeared, so it just didn't fit that he would go off the deep end today. Caroline sighed and ran after the supposedly nicer Salvatore brother.

"What did you do?" Caroline questioned him.

Without turning to face her, he answered with only a few words. "They deserved it." Caroline huffed and slowly made her way back to Klaus. He looked beyond furious, which surprised her a little bit. Maybe he liked to be the only one messing with his family. In exasperation, she watched Stefan speed away.

"I think it might just be you and me, love," Klaus stated.

"Who says I want your help?" Caroline remarked. Klaus raised his eyebrows. She sighed. Truth be told it didn't matter if she wanted his help. She _needed_ his help.

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 _ **A/N: I finished this chapter much faster than I thought I would. I had to update the first chapter, but there are no plot changes, only one minor grammatical error. Also, I'd like to apologize if any of you were offended by some of the opinions about Elena that I gave Caroline in the first chapter. The truth is, I'm not a huge fan of Elena, and I may have let my feelings show through Caroline a little too much. Anyways, please leave feedback, positive or negative; it's greatly appreciated!**_


	3. Bottled Up

_**A/N: It's been so long since I've updated this story. I'm so sorry! I hope this makes up for it, because it's filled with Klaroline. Lots of fluff! And if you have anything to say about this fic - anything at all - please leave feedback. Also, some of these chapters may not completely fit with everything that's happened in season 5 and earlier, but just go with it, because everything will be explained. Anyways, enjoy! I'm getting into this fic back again, so hopefully I'll update within a month! I know that's a pretty long time, but I've been busy lately. Sorry, I'm getting carried away. So let's get to it!**_

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CHAPTER 3

"Bottled Up"

"Can't you at least tell me where you're taking me?" Caroline begged. Klaus had dragged her across the city without informing her of a single detail, and she was not a huge fan of being left in the dark. He had been nearly silent the entire journey, and it was causing Caroline to squirm. She assumed they would be paying a visit to the other Mikaelsons, however, she did not know if that would be the first stop.

"Patience," Klaus calmly said the word, grinning at her. Caroline hadn't the slightest idea whether or not Klaus was going to bring up their semi-recent rendezvous. He would subtly hint at it, but he hadn't outright addressed it. It took all of her might not to say something about it, but she knew if she did, Klaus would find out that she hadn't taken her mind off of it.

"Wait here. I'll search the house," Klaus warned me as she was about to step inside the open door.

"No. I want to come with you," she firmly protested. Klaus eyed her for a moment, seemly weighing the outcomes in his head, but she stood her ground. Caroline was well aware that Klaus would want to take charge of the situation, and Caroline couldn't let that happen. Even if Klaus cared for Caroline, he did not care for Bonnie, who was currently her top priority, along with Stefan and Damon.

Klaus reluctantly agreed, and they both headed inside. Caroline offered to check upstairs, while Klaus scoped the larger downstairs area. She jogged up the winding staircase and found nothing until she came across a slightly ajar door with a bloody handle. She slowly reached her hand out and then jerked the door open. Caroline immediately let out a shocked squeal and jumped back.

Instantly, she felt Klaus's presence behind her, ready to pounce. Rebekah Mikaelson was lying against the wall, wooden stake in her heart. The stake wasn't white oak, so Caroline figured she could just go rip it out. As she started to walk to the body, Klaus stopped her. Caroline turned around in confusion.

"My sister will only get in the way," Klaus explained. Caroline didn't understand how he could feel that way, but she didn't make a fuss. He walked up and examined the body, then sat down on a sofa near Rebekah. He sat quietly.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked curiously.

"Trying to think of a plan," he said with noticeable anger in his voice. Caroline sat down about a foot away from him, and neither of them said a word. Clearly, Klaus was frustrated with the situation, and probably wracking his brain for an idea. Caroline's mind, on the other hand, was preoccupied with something else.

Finally, Caroline couldn't take it anymore. "Are we ever going to talk about the fact that we had sex?" She'd admit that maybe she had been a little too blunt, but she couldn't help herself. She knew it was off topic.

Klaus looked up at her, taken aback. "What do you have to say?" He seemed genuinely interested, so Caroline took the chance.

"Well, what do you have to say?" Caroline retorted, not wanting to be the first one to speak. He raised his eyebrows, noticing her tactics without a doubt. He didn't answer, instead waiting for her to reply to his initial question.

"I'm just annoyed, okay?" Caroline told him after almost twenty seconds. Klaus gestured for her to elaborate. Much to her frustration, he looked amused. In a rush, she started to ramble,"Well you come to Mystic Falls and basically try to destroy the little bits of peace we had left. Then, I guess maybe you took an interest in me and everyone starts throwing me in to distract you. And even though I was with Tyler, you always gave me this look that just made me want to...and it made me feel like I was cheating or something. Then, you just leave! And it hurt me! And out of the blue you show up telling me that I never have to see you again. Maybe I thought I wanted it at the time but I didn't! And then when we-" Caroline widened her eyes and turned away when she realized what she'd said.

Klaus's cold eyes softened and he smiled slightly. "So you _are_ smitten," he teased, and Caroline huffed.

"Forget what I said, can we just focus on what to do?" she said to try to change the subject.

"I thought you wanted to talk," Klaus responded sardonically.

"Well...I've changed my mind," she told him with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Caroline..." Klaus began, but Caroline cut him off. She certainly didn't want him to pity her for having feelings for a monster like him. Although she wasn't completely sure Klaus Mikaelson had ever experienced guilt or pity or regret.

"No, I told you to forget what I said. Now what do we do about Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, and now your siblings?"

Klaus stared at her intently before answering. "I have a plan."


End file.
